UCLA football: 5 observations from Oregon State 26, UCLA 19

Here are five observations from UCLA's 26-19 loss at Oregon State on Saturday:

1. They're playing for next season.

Coach Rick Neuheisel will never say it but he's coaching it: The Bruins are playing for 2010. They're no different than an NBA team scrambling to get under the salary cap so they can make a play for LeBron James next summer. Need proof? Look no further than how Neuheisel is handling his former position. In the first four games not once did the Bruins change quarterbacks based on poor play. Yet ever since Kevin Prince returned from a broken jaw UCLA has been all over the place at the quarterback position.

It's the ninth game and there's still a question as to who is “the guy.” Last week Neuheisel said he's trying to develop both Prince and Richard Brehaut by having them split game time. It's not exactly the most deliberate approach to winning football games. Unless, that is, you're goal is winning football games next year.

2. The comeback that wasn't.

The second half of the Oregon State game was a microcosm for the entire season for UCLA. There was the drive that ended in a field goal that should have been a touchdown. There were the two drives that went nowhere and ended in punts. And then there were the two desperation drives in which UCLA's offense finally woke up and remembered it had a football game to play.

Trailing 19-3 in the fourth quarter, Nelson Rosario made UCLA's catch of the season, a one-handed snare for a 58-yard touchdown. Prince made his best throw as a collegian when he connected with Rosario downfield on the next possession to set up the tying touchdown.

But the effort was lost to a drive given up by the defense. For three and a half quarters the Bruins had done a decent job containing Oregon State's offense (a.k.a. the Brothers Rodgers). James and Jacquizz torched UCLA in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, however, picking up one first down after another in a 7o-yard touchdown drive that spanned 77 seconds.

The UCLA offense rebounded with another frantic drive only to run out of time at the Oregon State 15-yard line. The Bruins have been coming up 15 yards short throughout their five-game losing streak.

3. Prince + Brehaut = confusion.

This is exactly why offensive coordinator Norm Chow hates playing two quarterbacks. It's exactly why Neuheisel was hesitant to say when there would be a change. It's exactly why UCLA is beating itself with this quarterback controversy.

Earlier this season against Kansas State, Neuheisel said both Kevin Craft and Brehaut would play, as Prince was sidelined with a broken jaw. As it happened, Craft played the entire game. This past week Neuheisel promised both Prince and Brehaut would play and even went as far as saying Brehaut would enter before halftime. Unfortunately for UCLA, Neuheisel kept his word this time.

Prince, undoubtedly looking over his shoulder, struggled the whole first half (and for most of the third quarter). Brehaut came in for what proved to be a wasted series in the second quarter, attempting no passes and taking a sack. He didn't play again. It was no wonder the Bruins were shut out at halftime. Spotting the Beavers a 16-0 lead is the biggest reason they lost.

4. The QB controversy continues.

Kevin Prince will start next week, of course. But will he come out? Neuheisel has already told Brehaut (and the media, for what it's worth) he will shuffle the two quarterbacks in each of the Bruins' remaining games. We just witnessed the consequences of such an approach and how it likely rattled all parties involved. Why put any of them through it again?

Prince, coming off a 22-of-34 performance and season-high 323 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, has earned the right to start against Washington. He led an almost improbable comeback. But looking at those numbers without looking at the game is misleading. He threw 198 of those yards in the fourth quarter alone. Two first-half drives ended abruptly because of sacks he could have avoided. He has yet to play one consistent game.

If Prince is again extremely ineffective going forward, bench him. Only this time make Brehaut the starter the following week. This can't be an every-other-series deal.

5. Is UCLA going to make a bowl game?

I want to say yes. Washington has been two different teams depending on whether it's home or away, and UCLA gets the Huskies at the Rose Bowl. It also gets Arizona State at home, a team that's proven little other than that it can beat Washington. The Bruins will undoubtedly beat Washington State and undoubtedly lose to USC. This makes beating Washington and ASU essential just to have a shot at making the postseason. And UCLA won't.

In five Pac-10 games the Bruins have had brief flurries of success against the likes of Cal, Oregon and Oregon State. Yet they're still searching for their first good half on both sides of the ball and, therefore, their first conference victory. The Bruins have shown they can win the two games in question, but they've given no indication they will.

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